Written by

DAVE BERMAN

FLORIDA TODAY

She edged out Karen Diebel and Craig Miller in a five-candidate primary in a district in which political analysts consider Democratic incumbent Suzanne Kosmas vulnerable. The four-county district includes northern Brevard County.

Kosmas -- who is completing her first term in Congress -- easily won the Democratic primary against real estate executive Paul Partyka, who is former mayor of Winter Springs. Kosmas was running as a moderate, while Partyka tried to position himself as the liberal alternative.

In the Republican primary, Adams received 19,885 votes; Diebel had 19,325; and Miller had 18,255, according to the latest available tallies. Among the Democrats, Kosmas had 28,459 and Partyka had 8,139. In Brevard County, the vote totals were Adams 3,850; Diebel 4,519; and Miller 4,129. Also, Kosmas with 6,164 and Partyka 2,210.

Adams said she was looking forward to start campaigning against Kosmas.

Adams has served for the last eight years in the Florida House of Representatives. Diebel is an executive director at Verizon and former vice mayor of Winter Park.

The third-place finisher in the Republican primary, Winter Springs businessman Miller, former president and chief executive officer of Ruth's Chris Steak House, said he was disappointed about not winning. But he added that he would support Adams in the general election, calling her "a high-quality individual."

The campaign took an unusual twist in the final days before the election. Miller sent out a mailing that quoted two elected officials who served with Diebel on the Winter Park City Commission, questioning Diebel's "bizarre and erratic behavior" that "makes her unfit to serve in the United States Congress."

The two other GOP candidates, who finished far back, were Titusville airline pilot Tom Garcia and Apopka attorney Deon Long.